Unloading apparatus.



Pmhma 00. 9.1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- J. B. SEAVERNS.

UNLOAOING APPARATUS. I APPLICATION men IAB. v6. m4. ammo lAY I2. 1911*. 1,242,249.

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JAMES B. SEAVERNS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

UN L OADIN G APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 9, 191-7.

Application filed March 10. 1914, Serial No. 823,707. Renewed May 12, 1917. Serial No. 168,312.

1 '0 all whom it may concern Be it known that. 1; James B. Snavnnns, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of (look and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Unloading Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for unloading coal'or other material, and its object is to provide an apparatus of this kind which can be easily controlled, and which is rapid in operation. An endless bucket conveyer is provided having novel means for adjusting the same to the mass of material to be unloaded.

In order that the invention may be better understood, reference is had-to the accon1- panying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation of the apparatus, partly in section; v

Fig. 2 is a front elevation showing the supporting frame of the conveyer, the latter being removed;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the conveyer, and b Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4:l of Fig. 2, the conveyer being removed.

Referring specifically to. the drawings, the supporting frame of the apparatus comprisesa pair ofposts 10, connected at the top by a cross-beam 11, and below the latter by a cross-beam 12. The posts are braced by inclined posts 13 and between the beams 11 and. 12 extend braces 14. work carries a platform 15 for the operator to stand on, said platform being at the same elevation as the cross-beam 12. The frame straddles a track 16 on which run the cars 17 to be unloaded.

Between the beams 11 and 12 is rotatably mounted a supporting frame for anendless bucket conveyer 18. This frame comprises spaced side members 19 having top and bot tom connecting parts 20, through Which latter and the beams 11 and 12, pass pivots 21 by which the frame is mounted to swing or rotate in a horizontal plane.

The conveyer 18 comprises an endless chain passing over top and bottom sprocket wheels and carrying buckets. The

sprocket wheel shafts 23 are supported by a frame composed of bars 24, suitably braced and connected in laterally spaced relation. From the lower ends of the bars extends a frame 25 carrying a rotary brush 26 located This frame.

behind the conveyer for sweeping the material toward the receiving end, as shown in Fig. 1. The-brush is geared to the bottoln sprocket wheel 22.

The conveyer 1b is hung from the rota table supporting frame by means of upper and lower, parallel arms 27 and 2S, respectively. The arms 27 are pivotally mounted on a transverse shaft 2!) carried by the frame members 19. Below this shaft'the frame members carry a transverse shaft 30 having pinions 31 which work in yokes 32 at the inner ends of the arms 28, said yokes having racks 33 on one side in mesh with the pinions. ()n the shaft 30 is a handwheel 31 for operating the same. The outer ends of the arms are pivotally connected to the side bars 24. indicated at 35.

By pivoting the arms 27 and as hereinbefore described they may be swung in a vertical plane to raise or lower the conveyer, the following means being provided for this purpose:

The top 20 of the rotary conveyer supporting frame carries a sheave 36 over which is trained a chain, -able or other flexible connection or hauling line 37, one end of which'is connected to a bail 38, which latter is connected to the outer end of the arms 28. The other end of the line is wound on a drum 3 carried by the frame members 19 and provided with a manually operated worm drive gear +10. Upon winding the l1ne on the drum the conveyer may be elevated as shown dotted in Fig. 1.

The following means are provided for swinging the conveyer 13 horizontally in the arc of a circle:

To the conveyer side bars 24 are connected hauling chains, cables or lines 41 which extend outward in opposite directions, as shown in Fig. 4, and upward to sheaves 42 carried by the posts 10 at the top thereof. From the sheaves, the lines pass to a drum 43 having a suitable manually operated Worm drive gear 44:. Suitable guide- Sheaves 45 are provided for-one of the lines. The lines are wound in oppositedirections on the drum, so that when one of them is wound. on the drum, the other one is paid out.

i In operation, the'eonveyer 18 is lowered into the car 17, and started. The car is moved forward inthe direction of the ar row shown in Fig. 1 at intervals to keep the of the conveyer frame, as

hacked.

vvith their swing.

conveyer at the mass of material. However. as it is not convenient to move the car at frequent intervals, the conveyor may he moved forward to follow the material. This is done by operating the hand-wheel 3%, whereby, through the pinion 31 and racks the arms 28 are moved in the direction of their length and the conveyer is advanced. Upon operating the hand-wheel in a reverse. direction the conveyer may he The lower arms 28 hold the conveyer to the work and preventthe same from swinging hark from the i'naterial.

The brush 26 will not hinder the unloading at the start as the conveyer 18 need not be started from the. extreme end of the car 1?. If the material remains at the end, the brush will throw it within reach of the Conveyer buckets.-

T he conveyer 18 is driven by an electric or other motor 46 carried by the rear ends of the arms 27, said ends projecting rearward from the rotary frame a sufficient distance so that the motor does not interfere The arms 27 are pivoted intermediate their ends to the rotary frame so that the motor may be mounted on the rear ends thereof, and this arrangement of the arms 27 also enables a counterweight to be mounted on the rear ends thereof to counterbalance the conveyer. On the shaft '23 of the top sprocket wheel is a pinion 47 which is in mesh with a spur gear 48 on a shaft- 49 carried by the side bars 2%. The shaft 49 has a pulley 50 which is connected by a belt 51 to a pulley 52 on the motor shaft. 0

fit the top of the conveyor 18 is a hopper into which the conveyer discharges. The hopper has a discharge spout composed of telescoping sections 5a connected by chains The outer end of the spout, is supported by a chain 56 carried by a stationary post 5?. By providing a telescoping spout, the latter may he lengthened or shortened, as the conveyeris raised or lowered. The apparatus may be mounted on a track in order that it can be moved along the track 16, as in some instances it may he inconvenient or imfeasible to push the, car upto the conveyer every few feet.

I claim:

The combination of a. support a horizontally swinging frame carried by the support vertically spaced parallel arms pivoted to the frame to swing in a vertical plane the top arm being pivoted interme' diate its ends to the frame, an elevator carried by the upper arm and braced by the lower arm, means for swinging the arms to raise and lower the elevator, and means for swinging the aforesaid frame in a horizontal are from side 'to side.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JAMES B. SEAVERNS.

\Vitn esses S. J. LEHRER, ll. BATCHELOR. 

